Global human trafficking roundup (March 16, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: The anti-human trafficking bill received an initial approval from the Senate committee on Tuesday, this week. The bill, if implemented, will give prosecution a separate tool to prosecute human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation. Also, it will extend statutory limitation for human trafficking crime and increases punishments for traffickers.

California: An expert says that San Bernardino County is the biggest transit point for human trafficking in the U.S. In case of domestic trafficking, gangs are heavily involved in pimping, and they recruit victims from schools and malls.

Minnesota: Dakota County officials testified before the House committee to curb child prostitution in the area. Studies show that child prostitution is a growing problem in the state with that the average age of girls entering prostitution is 14.

EUROPE

The Netherlands: The authority introduces a new system to hold johns accountable for using commercial sexual services. From now on, johns are required to call the government registration system to ensure that the prostituted woman is registered and over 21 year old prior to the brothel visit. If johns fail to do so, they will face criminal charges, according to the report.

ASIA

Saudi Arabia: The Appellate Court reversed the lower court's decision to convict a Saudi Arabian woman for exploiting an Indonesian domestic worker. The Court said that there was not enough evidence to support the Indonesian maid's claim.

AFRICA

Nigeria: A BBC report says that child trafficking in Nigeria is rampant. Many children are kidnapped by the domestic workers hired by their parents. Last year alone, police arrested more than 400 traffickers.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 9, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

New York: Tom Cruise and Church of Scientology are under federal investigation for human trafficking charges. According to the report, Church of Scientology paid only $50 a week to members to meet Cruise demands, including customizing Cruise's building, repairing his boats, etc.

Georgia: Lawmakers proposed a bill to tackle sex trafficking in Georgia. The bill, if implemented, will increase the penalties for the crime to those similar to drug trafficking, with offenders facing up to 20 years in prison for human trafficking and 50 years in prison for trafficking in minors. The bill also will provide victims with aftercare assistance for recovery.

Texas: A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted five defendants for allegedly enslaving a Sri Lanka woman. According to the indictment, defendants forced the victim into labor and confiscated her travel documents and passports with an intent to pervert her from leaving or traveling. each defendant is facing multiple charges. They could each face up to 20 years in prison with $250,000 fine for the count of forced labor alone.

Florida: A Miami man is facing sex trafficking charges. He was caught after the police stopped his van without a license plate. Police said that he is accused of transporting three women for sex slavery and the violence of his family members used to keep the women working for him.

Hawaii: A federal grand jury indicted two additional defendants in relation to Global Horizon Manpower Inc. case, in which the company exploited 400 Thai workers with labor. Each defendants are facing 10 years and five years in prison for co- conspiracy in arrangement to force 400 workers into debt bondages.

EUROPE

UK: Prime Minster was urged to do more to stop human trafficking before London Olympics. According to the UK press association, the report expects that the Olympic game will magnet human trafficking victims and criminal gangs next year.

Italy: Police arrested 40 people for selling young Romanian girls' virginity online. Their organization is branched throughout several cities in Italy and men purchased the right to have sex with the victims for 6000 euro ($8,210) online.

ASIA

The Philippines: The court made a first conviction of labor trafficking case. A woman is convicted of recruiting victims for housemaids in Malaysia without compensation. The victims testified that they worked for 9 months for their Malaysian employers but were not paid at all. According to the report, there have been total 38 conviction of human trafficking case, out of which 37 cases involved sex trafficking.

Saudi Arabia: US Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Dhahran allegedly used the labor exploited by their recruitment agency. According to the report, workers are found to be living in slavery conditions. The cleaners at the Embassy are only paid as little as $4.44 a day while gardeners are getting paid a little more than $3.00. Their contract has also been confiscated by the company.

Japan: The number of Filipino women entering Japan under entertainment visa is in rapid decline, according to the report. The decline occurred after the Japanese embassy in the Philippines imposed more strict immigration policies on entertainment visa. The restriction was followed by the criticism on rampant human trafficking in Japan by the U.S. State Department.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO POST GLOBAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING ROUNDUP OVER THE SUMMER. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. Thank you!!!!!!!

Global human trafficking roundup (January 13, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Milwaukee: Manpower Inc., a Milwaukee based global staffing agency, forms an alliance with a nonprofit group to assist domestic sex trafficking victims. Under a memorandum of understanding, the two entities plan to work together to identify a long-term employment opportunity for domestic trafficking victims and other at risk women.

Texas: U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Mayor Tom Leppert pledged to fight against human trafficking during Super Bowl. Though the law enforcement said that it is difficult to estimate the flood of sex trafficking victims, the FBI and Attorney General already pledged resources to combat human trafficking.

EUROPE

UK: Nine Asian men are investigated by the police over the claims that they groomed teenagers for prostitution. The suspects in the age between 20 and 40 were arrested for child prostitution, sexual activity with children under the age of 16, etc. One report stated that approximately 14 girls in the age between 13 and 15 were drugged before they were taken into the properties for sex.

ASIA

Israel: Activists urge religious leaders to fight human trafficking. The activists held a conference to encourage influential religious leaders and educators to address sex trade in Jerusalem. According to the report, high portion of more than 20,000 people in prostitution are human trafficking victims. And the demand for prostitution mainly come from religious leaders and Arabic population.

Saudi Arabia: A Filipino woman claimed that she escaped from her employer after she was sexually abuse. According to the report, she informed the police of the incident, but the Saudi police did not take any action against the abuser. She then sought help from Filipino embassy, where she is being protected.

AFRICA

Ghana: An expert says that domestic servitude in Ghana needs holistic approach to solution. She argued that though children may live with other families, they should not be humiliated and exploited. Further, she suggests microcredit programs for parents in order to prevent domestic servitude of children in Ghana.

Global human trafficking roundup (January 8-10, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: Publix, a produce corporation, in South Florida receives criticism for its apathy towards labor exploitation in its supply chains. According to the report, during the interview with a press last month on labor exploitation at the corporation's supply chains, the representative of Publix said "if there is some atrocities going on, it's not our business. Maybe it's something the government should get involved with."

Massachusetts: A Massachusetts immigration and refuge group scheduled an educational event to raise the awareness of human trafficking. According to the report, the event will be held Tuesday this week outside of Worcester City Hall, where the group will distribute literature to educate public about human trafficking.

California: FBI says Sacramento is hub of child sex trafficking. Because of its location on the I-5 corridor at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 50 and large immigration population, Sacramento is appealing to traffickers, according to the report.

Texas: Police arrested a man for forcing a 13 year old girl into prostitution. According to the report, he allegedly forced her into prostitution after raping her for 19 times and releasing her from a local motel in Dallas. The girl had been missing since she left a middle school basketball game with two 20 year old men last month.

LATIN AMERICA

Jamaica: Court extends the bails for business man and his stepdaughter who allegedly trafficked foreign women. The two suspects were charged with several counts of human trafficking, money laundering, and others. They were arrested during the police raid on a local nigh club and a residence. Police also rescued thirteen people, including six foreign women from Latin American countries and a few minors.

Fiji: Immigration Department provides a training program to its officers to combat human trafficking. The program is response to the alarming report on the number of human trafficking and the first conviction of a trafficker last year.

ASIA

Saudi Arabia: A Saudi woman was jailed for exploiting her Indonesian maid. The woman was sentenced to three years in prison for beating, stabbing, and burning her Indonesian maid with Iron. The woman physically abused her severely that the assault caused the maid's internal bleeding. Meanwhile, the maid's attorney said that he would appeal the case in order to bring harsher punishment to the woman.

India: The number of child trafficking victims in Manipur state in 2010 was 139, reaching the highest number ever in the state. According to the report, many of them were trafficked to other states after being promised with free education and jobs. In January 2010 alone, more than 50 children were trafficked to Tamil Nadu and later rescued by Child Welfare Committee.

AFRICA